One of the best parts about fall.....

Pumpkin Bread!

My time in the kitchen is usually a solo effort...but today I was joined by the amazingly talented and beautiful Cadence...it was her request to make what is now her "favorite fall treat", no way i could turn down that request.


So we start by measuring out the pumpkin puree...

Then some sugar, eggs, oil and water

Mix it all up....

Get all the dry ingredients together and whisk to combine....

Add dry to wet mix and fill the dishes....

Bake...Cool...Eat!

Now for the recipe

Get this stuff:

• 1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Do this with it:

With a mixer, stand or hand...your choice.  combine the following:

• pumpkin puree
• eggs
• vegetable oil
• water
• sugar

In a different bowl mix the following together:

• flour
• baking soda
• salt
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• cloves
• ginger

Add the dry to the wet mixture and mix until just blended

Pour into greased loaf pans and bake @ 350 for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a loaf.

Cool in pan for 20 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack and cool for an hour..but good luck waiting an entire hour before eating!

Chicken Nuggets!

baked, not fried

This recipe is kid tested and approved.  If you strive to remove processed foods from your daily diet while maintaining convenience then this is a dish for you.  They go together quick, contain real chicken and bake in just 15 minutes.

now for the details....

Just 7 ingredients...chicken, water, corn flakes, Parmesan cheese, potato flakes, garlic salt and pepper

Form into little nuggets and place on a pan...

Bake for 15 minutes, turning half way through

here comes the recipe...

what you need:

• 1 pound of chicken breasts (boneless/skinless)
• 1 Tablespoon potato flakes
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup crushed corn flakes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

what you need to do with it:

• In food processor combine Chicken, potato flakes, water, garlic salt, pepper and chop it up until its pretty fine
• put the chicken mixture into another bowl and clean food processor bowl
• place corn flakes (about 2 3/4 cups) into food processor and process until finely ground
• in a bowl, plate or pie pan combine the corn flakes and Parmesan cheese
• scoop a small amount of chicken, 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons and form into a nugget, rolling in the corn flakes until well coated
• place coated nuggets on a parchment lined sheet pan
• bake for 15 minutes @ 375F, flipping half way through

if you want to freeze them for later use just stop prior to the baking step.  put the sheet pan in the freezer for a couple hours and then transfer the nuggets to a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.  when ready to bake just toss on a sheet pan and bake as directed above

Lemon Balsamic Chicken

I love Italy because it gives us so many amazing things, like pizza, parmesan cheese, Nutella and balsamic vinegar!

this stuff is truly the nectar of the gods, and the older it is the better it tastes.

So tonight I bring you a quick meal....like under 30 minutes quick.

just saute a couple chicken breasts with olive oil, garlic and shallots

add some balsamic vinegar, water, tomatoes and lemon juice....letting it simmer for a bit

and that's all there is to it...server over some salad greens with some of the lemon balsamic sauce.


and here it is in recipe form

what you need:

• 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• cayenne pepper
• 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 medium shallot (chopped)
• 2 or 3 tomatoes
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

what you need to do:

• heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat
• season chicken with salt, pepper and cayenne
• place chicken in skillet and cover for 5 minutes
• flip chicken and replace cover
• reduce heat to medium and remove cover
• add garlic and shallots, saute for a minute
• add tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and water, simmer for 5 minutes or until tomatoes are softened
• add lemon juice and butter
• serve over salad green, rice, couscous...or whatever you want really

Thanksgiving....with a twist!

Today I'm melding two things i love, Italian food and Thanksgiving!

The only time I have trouble sleeping at night is when I get recipe ideas running around inside my head, this happens to be the latest one, I call it Thanksgiving ravioli.  I am going to call this dish a success and it even received a stamp of approval from one of my official taste testers.  Now after reading this post if you are left thinking "I really want to learn to make my own fresh pasta"...you are in luck because I just so happen to teach classes on how to do it!

Now let's break it down...

A few days ago I roasted a couple turkey legs and made some cornbread stuffing, these will become the ravioli filling, those parts weren't nearly exciting enough for pictures.

I added some of my homemade kale powder to my fresh pasta dough...

Next I spaced out some of the chilled scoops of turkey, stuffing and cranberry that I prepared ahead of time on the dough...

Then covered them up with the second sheet of pasta, pressed out the air and started stamping out ravioli...

After letting the ravioli hang out in the freezer for a bit it was time to give them a quick 4 minute bath in boiling water...

After they finished boiling, drop them into a skillet with a little gravy and some reserved pasta water to thin things out a bit and they are ready for the plate....

Finished things off with a little fresh minced sage and cranberry reduction.

the first step

and so it begins.....

All adventures start with a first step.  It has been suggested to me many times that I need to start a blog to chronicle my exploits in the kitchen and garden, so here it is.   I plan to do my best to post whenever anything new and exciting makes its way through my kitchen, so stay tuned as the fun will begin tomorrow when my love for Italian food and Thanksgiving collide.